This is a proposal to establish at Vanderbilt a Diabetes-Endocrinology Center of the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive Diseases. The Center has, as its primary research objective, the multidisciplinary study of the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus in man. The approach places dual emphasis on 1) the need to understand metabolic physiology in terms of biochemical and biophysical events, and 2) the urgent requirement to apply and extend these fundamental findings toward the understanding of the disease in man. Based on our traditional strengths in diabetes-related, basic and clinical sciences and on the broad and substantial research currently underway in diabetes-related fields, Vanderbilt's staff has the potential of realizing this goal. The Center is to provide: a) the stimulus to our established investigators, heretofore only peripherally involved in diabetes research, to join the concerted effort; b) encouragement to our younger investigators on the faculty who are actively engaged in diabetes-related research but who, as yet, could not be considered "established;" c) the means of recruiting new investigators in diabetes when specific deficits within the overall research program have been identified; d) coordination and planning of interdisciplinary training activities in those research and clinical areas related to diabetes; and e) core support for the Diabetes Center's programs and its investigators through centralized, more efficient laboratory facilities and appropriate administrative functions. This latter includes mechanisms for monitoring diabetes research progress, soliciting and evaluating new research proposals to be supported by the Center, and disseminating the information gained through the Center's endeavors. Implementation of this planned Diabetes-Endocrinology Center at Vanderbilt is likely to permit the realization of these potentials and promote the accomplishment of these research goals.